The Previous Life of Jack Frost
by Kjess
Summary: Before Jack Frost was chosen by the man in the moon he had a life. This story is how he met Kyna, his one true love. But Kyna has a secret. Will Jack disclose the secret and will Kyna feel the same for Jack?


Chapter 1

I blink as the sun shines through my window. I don't want to wake up. It's far to early.

Usually it wouldn't be, but I went to bed late yesterday. I guess that's the price you have to pay if you want to have some fun. But maybe I can sleep a little longer. Just a little. Not much. It won't be too long… ' Jackson Overland Frost! You'd better get out of bed and come down for breakfast before it gets cold!' Suddenly, I am awake. Wow, it's fascinating how fast mothers can wake you up. I push the blanket of my body, ignoring the urge to fall asleep again. _I'll never go to bed late again! _That's the worst lie I've ever thought. I look for my pants and take my coat off the chair in my room. _You can't go without pants! Hayley's screams will make you deaf! _Oh yeah, they would. My little sister is truly talented in screaming, so I need to look harder. I dig in the little pile of clothes next to my bed. Suddenly, I see my pants under my Shirt. _Damn, I nearly forgot that I need one too. _Wow, I really am stupid when I'm sleepy, just like mom said. _Didn't I already know that she was right? _Well, doesn't matter, I'd better get dressed instead of thinking about my intelligence this early.

I stumble through the corridor to our kitchen. My head feels like it's about to crack in thousands of pieces, when I do a wrong move. _Act normal. Mom and Hayley aren't supposed to notice. _Well, just Mom, Hayley knows me better, so I don't think she'll miss it. I try to walk with my head down without looking strange, but I guess I'm doing something wrong, because as I come in, Mom says 'Next time don't stay with Edan too long. Because when you go to bed late, you can't concentrate and you forget things. ' I sigh. How could I ever think she wouldn't notice? I could slap myself for being such a fool. And how could I ever forget that acting, something I never could, would convince them that everything is alright? Crap. Crap. Crap. And again: Crap. ' C'mon Jack, accept it. You've simply been convicted. Even a drunk person would've seen that you behave strange!' Hayley giggles. I love my sister, but sometimes she makes me hate her.

_There's just a fine line between love and hate._ Where did that come from? _Now I know: I should stop reading my mothers books when I'm bored, then I wouldn't have verses of some weird love stories in my head. _Good idea, Jack, but it somehow doesn't fit in right now. I start to recognize (a little too late though) that I got caught, and that I'm curios to find out why 'Why ? Why does this never work? Am I such a bad liar? Is it 'cause my excuses aren't convincing enough? Holy sh…' Before I can start swearing, my mother interrupts me and says ' Don't you dare to use such rude language in this house! Have you forgot your manors? And stop yelling! We can hear you, Jack! ' Shit. Did I start yelling without even noticing it? And did I just want to swear? Our house has it's own rules, and one of them is: Never, really never, swear! Okay, let's see if an apology still works ' I'm sorry, mom. I just don't understand how you could see that I'm lying.'

' I'll tell you that ! You're wearing you're shirt upside down! ' Hayley grins, due to my surprised face as I notice it myself. ' You should bring your acting in perfection, my dear.' my mother says. ' And I accept your apology. Now eat something. Don't forget, you have to take Hayley to school.' Hayley's grin grows bigger, as she listens to Mom. _This time you win, Hayley._

After we finish breakfast, and I get dressed properly, Hayley packs her little bag for school. All she (usually) needs, is a pencil and her little notebook, which she got for Christmas. But today she has to take her ice skates to school, 'cause they learn how to skate. 'We can go now'she says. I reach out for her bag, 'cause I don't like the thought that she could trip and fall on her ice skates, but she shakes her head. Her brown hair whips through the air so fast, that it nearly looks like a bunch of razor blades. Long, brown razor blades. I kneel down to her. 'C'mon, give me your bag. I know that you're clumsy, and that you always stumble over something. And when you fall on your ice skates… Do you know that that hurts like hell? I do, 'cause that happened to me a couple of years ago.' She starts to shake her head again. The razor blades strike back and rush through my face. She's got this talent to make people mad about her. I pull myself together and ask 'Why not? Will you tell me that? Hayley, I really am serious about this. I've even got a scar from that accident, it's somewhere on the right side of my hip. And it's nothing that looks pretty.' I sigh, and come closer to her face. I study her irises for a second; study their brown color. _Just like mine._ 'Hayley, listen to me. We've got two possibilities now, here's number one: You let me take your bag and you won't get hurt. No scar for your little body, okay? Now number two: You fall badly, and get a scar. When you've got really bad luck, you get one in your face, and I don't think you want that, do you?' Hayley looks at me, visibly thinking about what I said. She mumbles, and I hear her saying _Oh no_. Just as I thought I might've convinced her, she shakes her head. 'Okay, something's wrong. '

' No, everything's fine.' she replies.

'Hayley, stop lying to me. You now that you're a dreadful liar!'

' You're not much better' I twitch, just like her words would've punched me. Damn, she knows how to get me down. ' C'mon, you know that I won't tell anybody, so don't be scared about that. And I'm your brother, so I am supposed to know.' She looks left and right, like she was looking for a spy, before she looks straight into my eyes. ' You won't tell? Never? Even if Mom or Dad would want you tell them?'

_Is she serious _? ' Never. Never, ever. Pinky-swear!' She comes closer and whispers 'My classmates, especially those stupid boys in my grade, call me weak and because of that they start to bully me.' Oh. Now I understand. 'Why do they do that?' I ask.

' They say, that I'm so feeble, I can't even carry my bag. So they think, that I'm an easy target without you protecting me.'

'You should've told me earlier. But now, that I know that… It's time to solve that problem.' She looks at me, and I see the question in her face:_ How?_ That's something I have to figure out now. Suddenly, I got an idea 'I've got an idea, but we need Edan's help for it to work.'

'And what's the plan?' I explain her my plan. Tomorrow me and Edan will take her and Sinnie ( Edan's little sister, and Hayley's best friend) to school. Edan will pretend to bully Hayley, and of course he's just pretending to. Then Hayley slaps him slightly, maybe a little kick or two, and Edan pretends to surrender. Perfect plan! And Edan won't even get a scratch, because, hmmm… How shall I explain? Edan is a tall and muscular Scott and 16 years old, so he's just a year older than me. And Hayley is a 10 year old, small and innocent girl. I already compared, and I guess it's quite clear who would win the fight, huh? 'So all I need to do is tell Edan and Sinnie.'

' And you think they'll keep shut?' I don't even hesitate, before I say 'He will, I know him for a quite long time now, and he always kept my secrets.' Hayley giggles 'But afterwards, Mom found out about it and you got grounded.' We laugh out loud, before we go outside and walk down the path to her school.

Chapter 2

Today, as I brought Hayley to school, we started our plan. Everything worked perfectly! Edan agreed in helping us, and he and Sinnie promised to keep shut. And as Hayley's classmates saw her 'beat up' Edan, they suddenly started to respect her. That makes me kinda happy, 'cause I know now that Hayley and her classmates get along with each other. And Hayley is happy that the plan worked and that everything is over. _That seems to be a good beginning for a day._ I smile because of my memories. But the day ain't over yet, so there's still some time for it to become a bad day. 'Hey, Jack? Are you okay?' Due to Edan's Scottish accent I interrupt my thread. I look up and ask 'Sure, I'm fine. Was just… thinking about some stuff.'

Edan starts to laugh, so I laugh as well. When he laughs, even his eyes kinda start to laugh. It's somehow fascinating, and 'cause of that, you know he would never fake his laughter. After a couple of minutes, I stop laughing and catch a glimpse at Edan. He runs his hand through his hair, like he always does after he had laughed. It's a funny gesture, because of him being a ginger.

'What?' He looks at me, and his brown eyes seem to look daggers at me. I grin. ''Was just wondering about those red explosions on your head.'His smile fades away. Even though I know he doesn't like jokes like that, I love making them. The clue is: The name Edan means 'fire', and he's a ginger. His mother told me when I was 10, maybe 11 years old, and that's how I found out. And then I started with teasing him. But c'mon, who wouldn't make jokes about that? Suddenly, he replies'Stop that, little boy, or the big ones will beat you up.' Now he's got me. 'One year! It's just one year! I'm 15!'

Edan shrugs.'First: You've become 15 last week, so you're somehow still 14 to me, And second: You deserved it, so I kinda don't care.'

_But he knows I care_.'Fine, you win.' I try to stay serious, but that somehow doesn't work out, so I give up and grin.

'It's been quite cold 'round here in Burgess the previous days, don't you think?' I arch an eyebrow. 'So we're starting to talk about the weather now? Fine, but just for your information, I'm 15, not 50.'

'No, I'm serious. I think it's pretty cold outside, even for the average Burgess-Temperature.'

'Than buy a warmer coat.' My grin grows bigger and becomes a smile.

'Let it be, Jack.'

'Well, I think it's not to cold outside. I like winter, most of all January with it's huge amount of snow.' And that isn't a lie, I really like snow. Everything looks so nice with snow.

'But never forget: Snow is dangerous, especially in the woods. Many people die in there every year.'

I shake my head. 'Snow isn't dangerous, when you know what to do! And those people just did the wrong things.'

'C'mon, you know that it's dangerous, admit it. Just 'cause you like snow, it doesn't mean that it was their fault. I don't think that they wanted to die.'

'I never said that! It wasn't their fault, of course. Why should it be? But, most of them at least, just underrated the dangers of the cold. Or they just went to deep in the woods, and then, standing in the there, surrounded by snow, you've got some big problems. Result: You freeze to death.' I glance at him. Edan notices it and looks back. 'But some of them came in that situation because of something else. Maybe they ran away or they were searching for something? I seriously don't know.' I nod and add'Sure, we never know.'

'And I don't think somebody ever will.' Damn, Edan can be a wise guy sometimes. We keep quiet for some seconds, but as the silence gets awkward, Edan says'Hey, wanna have some fun?'

'Sure. Where do we need to go?'

'To the eas.' I like the eas. It is a little lake in the forest with a waterfall, and in winter everything is frozen. Me and Edan call it the eas ever since , 'cause Edan's mother, Miss Cirifee, also called Lynn, speaks Gaelic, and 'eas' means waterfall.

'So let's go!' I say, before we head towards the woods.

Chapter 3

As we arrived at the eas I take a deep breath. I like the air in the woods. You don't smell all those people, you just smell the snow, the wood and the water. I know that sounds strange, 'cause somehow it is a little weird, but you can smell snow. You can even smell the cold. I dunno, it somehow smells like a cleaner version of the world. 'Wanna practice bogha?' asks Edan.

'Sure.' Bogha means bow. That's Gaelic. Again. We use those Gaelic words because of Lynn. I dunno, I think it's kinda cool to have some sort of secret language with Edan. I would never tell him though. 'Jack? Are you even listening?' I blink twice and look at Edan. 'Sorry, I was…'

'Just thinking. I know that already.' _Yes, I know it as well._

'Could you repeat your sentence please?' I give him a little smile. He arches an eyebrow. _That's the best you'll get. A little smile. Take it or leave it._

He take's a deep breath and says'I asked you if it's okay for you when we shoot the trees instead of our targets.'

I nod.'Sure, I don't wanna prepare them anyway.' Me and Edan had built 3 targets as I was 13, so we could train bogha. They stand because of a piece of wood that you can place on the ground, and the actual targets are made of ropes. We winded them over a round piece of wood, and you can attach the target to the stand, 'cause they're like puzzle pieces to each other. The targets have a stick in the middle, and the stand has a whole. It was hard work to built the targets: For the first one we needed the entire spring, for the second one we needed all of the summer, and we made the third one just before the end of fall. I remember all the bruises I got by working with the ropes, but it was worth it: Now we've got three perfect targets to train bogha with. 'Can you get the bows, and I'll get the arrows?'I ask Edan. 'Why not?'He answers. I smile, as I grab into the hole where the arrows are. We always hide the bows and the arrows at different places, and sometimes we even change these. There's a simple explanation why we do that: if someone ,for example, finds our bows, he won't find the arrows. Result: we don't lose both. Except we've got really bad luck, but to the day, barely anyone has even found the eas. 'I've got the arrows!' I turn towards Edan and ask'Could I have my bow?' He hands it over to me, just before telling me'I need some arrows.'I give them to Edan, and he looks at them like he would look at an old friend. 'Some time has passed since we've done this, don't you think?'Edan asks me. I nod, 'cause it's true. We usually come here every week, and the last time we came here was about a month ago. I agree'Way to long.' Edan points at some trees and asks'Is that one okay? And the one next to it seems to be a quite good target too.'

'Sure. I'm gonna wrap my scarf around it, so we have something to aim at. So… let's have some fun.' I step towards a tree and rap my scarf around it. The tree ain't that thick, so my scarf does the trick. Edan does the same with his scarf and a different tree, and tells me with a little gesture, that I can start. I pull an arrow out of the quiver on my back, and aim at my scarf. _Mom won't like it when my scarf has holes afterwards. _I don't care, actually, so I forget the thought, and shoot. I miss the scarf, and hit the wood instead. Edan grins and says'Look and learn, you beginner.'He aims and hits the scarf, not directly in the middle, but if the arrow would've been a little more left, it would be a perfect hit. 'Your turn, little boy.' He grins and looks at me. _I need to hit the scarf. Not the wood: the scarf._ I concentrate and take another arrow. I don't see anything else than the arrow and my scarf. I aim. The arrow flies through the air, and hits the scarf. Directly in the middle. I catch a glimpse at Edan and he says'Good shot.' Edan tells me, before he shoots and hits the scarf directly in the middle. ''Needed a little more time, but now: Direct hit!'He adds, with a smile on his face. I laugh, take 5 steps back and say'Let's make it a little harder.' and aim at my scarf. Both of us look at the arrow, as it hits my previous one. My arrow ripped it in two identical pieces. Edan looks at me with his mouth wide open. Even though I can handle the bow pretty good, this was new. A more than perfect hit, and I was farer away than I usually was! 'Damn!' Edan shouts. 'I really have to say: That shot was more than perfect! The arrow…' He picks up what's left of my arrow, and gives it to me. '…Just got ripped apart! Damn, Jack!' He drives his hand through his hair: The explosions are back! I grin 'cause of a joke that Edan will never hear. Somehow sad, so I crouch and cover my head with my hands, just to shout'EXPLOSIONS! TAKE COVER!' Edan gives me an annoyed look. 'Okay, because your shot was so good, you're allowed to make that joke. But just this time! Next time I'll smack ya!' He raises his hand as a threat in good fun. Edan grins and looks at me, before he grabs in his quiver for another arrow and shoots. We keep doing that, taking aim and shooting for our improvisational targets, for another half an hour, as I say'I've got enough of bogha now, and we have to get home before it's dark. There's something nearly as worse than being in the woods by a snowstorm: Being in the woods during nighttime. So I suggest we should go now.' He nods and reaches for my bow, and puts our arrows and bows in the hideouts. I wave towards the path that leads to our village. 'C'mon!' I say, and start walking. 'Hey, wait for me!' Edan shouts, before getting hold of my step.

Chapter 4

We arrive in Burgess a little before the sun goes down, so we didn't have to walk home in the dark. 'Just in…' Edan starts, but he gets interrupted by cold wind blowing into his hair. '..Time.' He adds. I look at the sky: It turns a darker shade of grey and snowflakes already fall on my face, big and thick.'There's gonna be a snowstorm today.' I tell Edan, and he nods to confirm me of being right. 'We'd better go inside, before we can't find ourselves in the snow.' It should've sounded funny, but me and Edan know better. The weather changes every hour 'round here, and for the people who still are in the woods… I interrupt my thread, as I hear the sound of bells in the distance. So I tell Edan'That sound: It's the Storm-sign. We'd better go home before our parents are worried sick.'

'Aye, so… tomorrow at school?' I suspire, as I remember that we've got school again. Damn, I need more free time. 'Damn, are our free days already over?' I ask. We had 2 days without school because all the teachers were needed to teach the younger ones how to find a path when it's dark, or how to react when they're in the woods during a blizzard, and all of that other important winter stuff. Edan gives me a sad smile. 'Aye, I guess so.'

'Well, everythin' has an ending.' I reply.

Edan laughs.'Where did that come from?' I shrug and add internal: _I would love to know aswell._ The bell rings again, and Edan heads to his family's house 'See ya at school!' He calls before he leaves me. 'Sure!' I reply and head home. First I walk slowly, 'cause I ain't in a hurry. But as the wind starts to blow stronger, and more and more snow flakes fill my sight, I rush home. I need more than twice the time than usual, to walk from Edan's home to mine, and as I see my family's house, the snowstorm has become worse, so I get problems finding the door. But luckily I manage to come in the house. Hayley looks at me, a surprised look on her face. She runs towards me and hugs me. As I look in those big brown eyes of hers, she says'We knew that you and Edan were in the woods, doing whatsoever! And then the snowstorm began… Mom said you'd come home safe, but I heard all those stories and…' I see tears rolling down her cheeks, before she hugs me closer. _I feel so bad right now._

'I'm so sorry Hayley! I didn't mean frightening you! I'm so sorry…' I repeat that last sentence again and again, whispering to her. She looks up to me and says'No need for an apology, Jack. I'm just glad you're back.' I give her a little smile, before she says'Let's go in the kitchen to tell Mom you're back. Even though I bet she already noticed.' She grabs my wrists and pulls me into the kitchen, where Mom already was waiting for me. 'Hello, Hun. Hayley was worried sick, but I guess you've noticed that already. Haven't you?' I nod before I reply'I'm so sorry, Mom! I didn't know that I would need such a long time to find our house, 'cause I usually just need 5, at most 10 minutes from Edan's to our home! I just didn't think that the blizzard would become so bad in that short amount of time!' My mother gives me a little wink, showing me that she accepts my apology. 'I accept your apology, because I know how unpredictable storms can be. Just next time, don't underrate upcoming snowstorms, will you? That would mean a lot to me and Hayley.' My mother smiles at me and I hug her and Hayley close. 'I'll do my best.' I catch a glimpse of Hayley and recognize her looking extremely tired, so I offer'Shall I take Hayley to bed? She looks kinda tired.' Mom laughs and says'That would be lovely, my dear.' I look at her, a smile on my face, as I take Hayley's hand so we can get ready for bed. I search for my most comfortable clothes for sleeping, and as I catch a glimpse at her, I see that she is fighting the urge to sleep. A fight that she will lose afterall. I grin. _Cute little girl. No one has ever won against the sleep._ I look at her and say'Time for bed, young lady.' She gives me a precatory look as she replies'I'm not tired! I don't want to go to sleep!' I arch an eyebrow before she adds'Okay, I might be a little tired.' I still look at her, forcing her to tell the truth. She sighs, and adds'Fine, I'm completely exhausted. But I don't want to go to sleep.'

'I don't understand…'

She sighs again.'Nobody does. Except those who know him. He says if I tell anyone, he will haunt me and I will never sleep tight again. And he said that it was useless anyway, 'cause they would just think I've gone mental.'

'Didn't help me, Hale, 'just got more questions than before. Who are you talking about?'

She looks at me, and I see the indesicion in her eyes. 'C'mon, Hale. I'm tired, and I don't think that you want to worry before you go to sleep.' I encourage her.

Hayley looks left and right, like she always does when she's about to tell me something.

'Listen carefully, Jack, will you?'

I nod.'I always do.'

'Okay… Have you ever heard of the boogeyman?'

I laugh. Sure I've heard of him. He annoyed me since I was 9 to the age of ten, the age, where I figured out how to beat him. And now, he's just some bad dream for me. 'Sure I have. 'Had some problems with him when I was 'bout your age. Why?' I've already got a suspicion, and that ain't good.

'He… He haunts me. He comes into my room at night and scares me when I'm half asleep. I don't want to go to bed, Jack! He's just waiting for me!' She's on the verge of crying. Hayley hugs me and whispers'Help me, Jack. Please. I first didn't want to tell anyone, 'cause I wanted to be a big girl, 'you understand that? I don't want to be afraid anymore. Help me, Jack.' A tear rolls down her cheak, as she adds quietly'Please…' _She has cried way to much today… Poor girl._

I nod, and say'Have I already told you that I know that son of a bit..'

'Shush, Jack! No need for being rude, I understand your questions without that. ' She looks up and adds'Even though the boogeyman is a son of a bitch.' Wow, that came unexpected. I laugh while I say'Damn, Hales, where did that come form?'

'Doesn't matter, just tell me how to beat him.'

I sigh and say'Fine. So… I know him because he haunted me since I was 9, to the year of ten.' I pause, remembering those horrible nights. The fear I felt every time he came into my room. _Stop that, you want to help Hayley, not get a mental breakdown._ I sigh, before I explain'He came to me nearly every night, and the things he told you sound fimilliar to the things he told me back then. He told me stuff like: _This ain't the best of me. I can do better, and if you tell anyone about this, I will._'

'And every time with that creepy British accent, right?'

I grin, and answer'Anytime! But it didn't stop me from being frightened to death, so I did how I was told. And every time he haunted me, I swore to myself, that I'll find a way to make him stop. And as I found the solution to problem Pitch…'

'Pitch?'

'He told me his name was Pitch Black, but many people would call him the Boogeyman.'

Hayley nods'Oh… okay.'

'Well, that's not the actual theme of this conversation, isn't it? So I'll tell you now how I solved problem Pitch: After half a year full of sleepless nights, I figured him out, and I recognized that he got seriously mad when I wasn't frightend enough. So I deduced: He needs fear. First it was just a guess, but as I observed him for some weeks after that thought came in my mind, my guess was confirmed: No fear, no Pitch. But of course a thought alone couldn't make him stop, so I needed a plan. And it was made quickly, because the solution was so unbelievably obvious, that I wondered how I couldn't have found one before.'

Hayley looks at me, her eyes wide open and full of hope.'What did you do?'

'I found out that he couldn't hurt me physically, that means: He can't harm me. Not at all. He can't even scratch me, 'cause I'm human and he's….'

'Whatever…' Hayley completes my sentence.

'Right. So I thought: _When I'm not afraid of him, he'll go._So I started laughing every time he came. It was a huge amount of fun, and after all, he never haunted me again. End of the story.'

'So I just have to laugh at him, and he'll stop? No more sleepless nights and such?'

'No, that's it. That's all you've gotta do. Oh, and before I forget: Could you do me a favor?'

'Sure. What kind of favor?'

'Tell him: _Kind regards of Jack__. _Will you?'

Hayley giggles, and answers'Sure, I will.' She pauses a second, than wipes the last tear off her cheek, and completes'Thank you, Jack. You're an awesome brother.'

I smile.'Thanks, but you ain't bad as well.' I take some time to look at her.'Hales, you're lovely.' She kisses my cheek and I wish her good luck, before we go to bed.

In the middle of the night, after I had just fallen asleep, Hayley comes into my room and tells me, that everything worked perfectly, and that it was (just like I said) a huge amount of fun to beat him.

'Great, Hales. Now, can I go back to sleep again? I already had problems with falling asleep 'cause of that snowstorm. So… May I?' I yawn, before she says'Sure, I'm tired as well. Good night, Jack.'

Before my eyes close, I manage to mumble'Good night, Hayley.'

Chapter 5

I wake up (AGAIN) 'cause I hear my Mom walking through our house and her saying something in a nervous voice. I get out of bed, annoyed of this night. _Why is she awake in the middle of the night? And why does she sound so nervous?_ Suddenly, I am curios to find out. Nearly jumping out of bed, I walk to the living room, the place where the noises came from. _Soon I'll find out. _ As I look around the corner to our living room, I see the chimney sending warmth through our house. And after noticing that, I see a delicate figure sitting in front of it, next to her a wet Jacket, just like a pair of shoes standing in a puddle. But before I can do something stupid, my mother spots me and commands'Get more blankets, the poor girl is freezing. It's a wonder that she isn't dead yet.' I nod and run into my room, grab the blanket off my bed, and cover the girl with it.

'Thank you, my dear. But it won't help that much.' She gives me one of her looks, the: _You-know-what-to-do _look. And I understand. I lift the girl's blankets (yes, blankets, she's covered with three!), take my shirt off and hug her close, so she gets some of my body heat. She's freezing; it's like I would hug an ice cube! But she becomes warmer, the longer I hug her. My mother looks at me, an apologetic smile on her face. I nod, to show her that it's okay; that I understand.

As we sit there, in front of the chimney, I notice that she's studying me. I look at her, and I notice that she's not much younger than me, 13, maybe 14 years old. Than I look her in the eyes, and she looks back. I observe the Irises in her big and wide open eyes; they're hazel. Not a special color, but that, I don't know, sparkle, glow or whatever in her look, makes them beautifull. Her hair reaches over her shoulders, and I can see it's color: light brown, with gold reflections. It's not really sleek, but she doesn't have curls. She smiles at me, and I fight the urge to twitch. How can someone smile like that? _Damn, Jack! Don't fall in love with a girl you've barely met!_ I remind myself. I stop my thread, as she whispers something. 'Pardon?' I ask.

'K-Kyna.' I like that name, my mother told me that it means love, affection and esteem.

'You're name's Kyna?'

She nods.

'I'm Jack.' I reply. And after making a pause, I ask straight ahead'Why were you out there, Kyna? You could've died!'

'Didn't w- want to g-go back.'

'How do you mean, you didn't want to go back? Did you run away? Damn, we need to bring you home! You're family must be worried sick!'

Kyna looks at me, she's nearly crying know, and I hear that her voice is shaking, as she says'Don't b-bring me b-back to them. Please. I'd r-rather die than g-go back.' That last sentence was so full of fear, that I agreed. _Damn, it'll be hard to convince Mom of not bringing her home._

'I'll explain l-later.'she adds, and I accept that.

After about an hour Kyna's body temperature is normal again, so I can put my shirt back on and slip out of the blankets. Me, Mom and Hayley (she woke up half an hour after I did) are glad she survived.

'So, my love, I'm Miss Frost, but you can call me Eve. What's you're name?'

Oh, I forgot. Only I know her name. 'Kyna.' She says.

'An Irish name, isn't it?' My mother asks. Kyna nods, before my mother goes on'So, Kyna. Why were you out there? Blizzards are dangerous. Very dangerous.' Kyna doesn't answer. 'Kyna? Didn't you hear me? You could've died! And your family… They must be worried sick!' Still: No answer, so I say'I think we should let her sleep a little. She looks exhausted.' Kyna looks at me gratefully. I smile as a respond, and it's like we would have a silence conversation. My mother sighs, and replies'Of course, but tomorrow we'll find out about you're family, Kyna.' Kyna twitches. A movement so little, that it's nearly invisible, but I see it.

'Where will she sleep?' Hayley asks.

'Good question, Hayley.' Mom responds, but than Hayley completes'Kyna could sleep in Jack's room! My bed is to small, just like Moms. Jack's is bigger, 'cause he's the tallest. If you move together, it might work out.'

'That isn't such a bad idea, my love. Kyna, Jack, can you handle with that?' There are some seconds of silence, before Kyna nods.

'Are you okay with that?'I affirm.

'Sure. Are you?' She asks me.

I nod and answer'I'm okay with it aswell.'

'Great. Jack, would you take the blankets in your room, please? '

'I'll be on my way.' I respond.

'Good. I'll go back to bed now, and Hayley, so will you. No protest.'

'There wont be any, Mom, because I'm exhausted.'

'Even better. So… good night everyone!'

'Good night Mom!' Hayley kisses my mother's cheek and heads to her room.

'Night, Mom.' I add, before Kyna says'Good night, Eve, and… Thank you for everything.'

My mother smiles at her.'It was a pleasure. But now go to sleep, there's some work to do tomorrow.' Kyna smiles back, before she asks me'So… where is your room?'

'Just follow me.' I stumble, because the blankets nearly cover my eyes entirely. Kyna giggles quietly as she asks'May I help?'

I first want to refuse her offer, but as I stumble again and nearly fall on my face, she takes a blanket and carrys it into my room. I somehow push the door open and we throw the blankets on my bed. I flatten them, trying to delay what comes next. What has to come next. 'So… Shall I sleep against the wall or do you want to?' Kyna asks me.

'I don't care, actually.'

'Oh…Alright. So may I sleep at the outside of the bed?'

I shrug.'Sure.' I wait a little, thinking about what comes next, but than she makes a little gesture and I move onto my bed. I press myself against the wall as much as possible, so she's got enough space. 'You look like you're going to break you're spine! C'mon, you can have some more space. I'm not that big.'

She giggles, and I reply'Thanks, I think I would've had a really bad back ache tomorrow.'

''Was my pleasure. But Jack…. '

'What's wrong?' I question. 'My clothes… There wet. They'll be dry till tomorrow, but now…'

'Oh! Sure… Wait a second.' I get out of bed (AGAIN), move to my closet, and grab a shorts and a shirt of mine. I hand it to Kyna and say'Here. They're really comfortable, 'cause I don't wear scratchy stuff.' Kyna giggles and tells me'Thank you, but…' She shows me with a gesture to turn around. 'Oh, Sorry! I forgot.' I turn towards the wall, and after a minute or two I hear her say'Okay. I'm done. You can go back to bed now.' I do as I'm told, and move into my old position. She moves next to me and pushes her back against my chest.'Do I hurt you when I do that?'Cause I don't want to break your nose.'

'No, I'm fine.'I mumble in her back, smelling her scent. I don't know why she smells so good, and I'm on the verge of asking her. But that wouldn't be such a good idea, 'cause that's a little creepy. _Yeah, sure, just a little._ 'Are you really okay with this? And don't just try to be polite.' Suddenly, I stop thinking about the creepiness of the question I wanted to ask, and answer'Seriosly, I'm fine.' It becomes a mumble after all, but she seems to understand it and says'Okay… Then…Good night, Jack.'

'Good night, Kyna.' I say, my eyes already closing.

But than Kyna falls out of the bed with a big thud. 'Damn!'Kyna swears. Abrubtly, I'm awake again, and say, my voice filled with worry'Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?'

She giggles and answers comforting 'Calm down, Jack, I'm just a little clumsy. Why are you so worried about such simple things?'

I sigh and say'Because when I fall out of bed, I almost every time hurt myself.'

'And? What's the problem when I get hurt? Nothing would happen to you. You should be worried about your mother, we might have woken her up.'

' First: It wouldn't be the worst thing when we wake her up, even though she wont, 'cause she's sound asleep. And second: I know that I wouldn't get hurt, but you could. And I care about people, that's just something I do.' I look at her, she seems to understand, so I ask'Why were you thinking about my mother? And just for your information, it's a problem when you get hurt. Nobody should feel pain.'

Kyna sighs before she confides me'In my old family, well it was more an unintended job, when I got hurt nobody cared, only if something broke or they got hurt aswell. And if I disturbed someone in any kind of way, I got strapped.' I gaze at her with my mouth wide open.'That sounds horrible.'

''Cause it was. I'll tell you more another time. But first you have to promise something, will you Jack?'

'What shall I promise?'

'Promise not to send me home. Please. I wouldn't survive that, literally. Okay, maybe I would, but they would hurt me badly.'

I wanted to ask why, but then I halt, 'cause there's a time for everything, and now it's the time for a promise.'I promise. You just have to help convince my Mom, so she'll accept that.' Kyna nods, and says'Thank you, Jack. From the time I came here, until now, you've treated me so well. I can trust you, even though I barely know you. Thank you so much. If I may say that… You're a really good friend.'

I smile throughout the sentence.'You may.'A yawn slips out of my mouth.'Okay… I think it's really time to go to bed now.' I tell Kyna, and she nods. 'Good night, Jack. Again.'

I grin.'Good night, Kyna. Again.'

And this time we stay asleep.

Chapter 6

As I wake up, I look into Kyna's face. She must've turned in the middle of the night. My arm lays around her, and she nestles against my chest. _I could get used to waking up like that. _I gaze at her, and notice her being pale. So even, just like porcelain. She has her eyes closed, and I see the long, dark brown eyelashes which surround her eyes every time she opens them. Her lips have a light shade of pink, just like roses in spring. They're opened, just a little, and she looks so innocent and fragile, that I feel the urge to hug her and never let her go._ She's beautifull in a new way. _Yes, she is. And I don't think she's just beautifull from the outside. My thoughts get interrupted as Kyna moves away from me. She blinks aganst the light falling through my window.'Good morning, Jack. Did you sleep well?'

'Morning Kyna. I did, but did you?'

'Yeah, better than ever. But I must've turned while sleeping.'

'At least you didn't fall from bed.'

'Yeah, 'cause your arm stopped me from doing so.' She gives me a little smile.

I blush, as I say'Sure thing.' I take a deep breath, trying to look untouched of her words. Doesn't work, I suggest, 'cause her smile turns into a quiet giggle. _Super, Jack, good job! Now she thinks you're an idiot. Well done, really… _I try to make her forget this awkward moment, and pick up the conversation with something naïve'You hungry?'

'Actually, I am.'

'Great, 'cause I need to prepare myself for school anyway.' Kyna nods, and she gets out of bed. As she's not next to me anymore, I feel the loss of her prescence in my bed. It somehow feels wrong, just like she belongs here, and I nearly ask her if she might want to come back… _For me. _'Didn't you want to get ready for school?' Kyna asks. A little time passes, before I realize what she's saying, but as I do, I finally manage to get out of bed as well. In front of my closet, if you can call the little board with some clothes on top a closet, I take my best pair of pants and my favourite shirt out. I don't know why I do myself up like this, but I think it's because of her. Actually it's quite clear that it's because of her. 'Are your clothes dry again?'I ask. After my question Kyna walks to the little pile of clothes in the corner of my room, and touches it. She nods and replies'They've dried through the night, so I suggest I can wear them today.' After that sentence, I already face the wall. Kyna laughs and tells me'You learn quick, Jack.' Some minutes pass, but as she's finished with getting dressed, she states'You can turn around now, Jack, I'm dressed.' I do so and look at her. We stare at each other for a while, before I say 'Uhm… Kyna…'

'What? Oh! Yeah, right… I'll turn.' As I catch a glimpse at her, she already has turned towards the wall and she starts laughing.'Wow, you've got an interesting wall.'Kyna says sarcastically. I laugh and get dressed a little quicker than before.'I release you from your predicament. I'm dressed now.' She doesn't answer. 'Kyna?'

She startles out of something. 'Oh… sorry. I was…'

'Just thinking. I know that.'

'Right.'

I am curios to know what her thread was about.'What 'cha thinking of?'

'Just… Stuff.'

'Aha… What's going on?'

'Really, just stuff.'

I look at her closely, like I'm trying to read the answers in her mind.

'C'mon, tell me.'

'But don't think I'm stupid or something, okay?'

'I wont. Wanna know why? 'Cause many people thaught I was in the wrong moments. '

Kyna looks down, like the words for her sentence would be on the floor. 'I thought… Isn't it weird, that I barley know you but I already trust you? Because, really… I ain't a confiding girl.'

I shake my head.'It doesn't seem to be a bad thing to me. If you wouldn't have trusted me and my family, you would've slept on the floor tonight, or in the worst case you'd be dead. Sometimes you just need to confide in someone. That's all.'

Kyna looks at me, a gracefull sparkle in her eyes.'That's true. You're a wise person, Jack.' I laugh and reply'Thanks for the compliment. Sometimes I just have these moments.'I pause, just to decide that my sentence was way to serious for this conversation, so I add'And once in a while I've got a moment full of asinity.' She giggles after my last one. A sound full of joy and relief. Damn, I think I love that sound; somehow I'm addicted to it, so I suggest I should make her happy, so that laugh doesn't fall silent. 'Okay, I think we really should go get some breakfast now.' Kyna stops giggling. _Crap, I shouldn't have said something, it's so quiet now._'Sure, I've nearly forgot about it after that sentimental conversation we just shared.' She grins while looking at me. I can't hold myself and try to grin back, but it turns out to be a smile. _Well, that ain't bad aswell. But hopefully I don't look like a jerk right now…_ 'So…Let's go to the kitchen.'

She nods joyfully and follows me down the small corridor between my room and the kitchen. My mother already is there, and looks up as she notices our presence.'Hello you two. Have you slept well?'

'Morning, Mom. I was sound asleep, thanks for asking.' I answer, just before Kyna replies'Good morning, Eve. And my case was just like Jacks, I was sound asleep.'_Wow, she sounds so factual when she talks to my mother. She must've learned early how to behave in front of adult._

'Lovely. And I think your morning will be even better after you've heard the news: No school today.'

_Did she really just say what I think she said?_'Is this a joke?'

My mother shakes her head.'No, my dear. Due to the snow, the classes have been canceled today. Just look outside for proof.' I do so, and look outside. I can see a high layer of snow covering the ground, and it will become higher, because it's still snowing. 'I think the snow just made my day.' I tell Mom and Kyna. 'Does Hayley already know?'

My mother nods.'Yes, my love. She was awake a little earlier than you were, and she listened as Edan's mother and Sinnie told us the news.' Before Kyna can ask, Mom says'Edan is a friend of Jack and his little sister Sinnie is friend with Hayley.' Kyna gazes at her, understandingly. 'But where is Hayley now?' I make enquires.

'Hayley's outside. She's having a snowball fight with Sinnie and some of her other friends.'

'Ah, okay.' Nobody says something for a while, before Mom breaks the silence.'Well, I suggest you two must be hungry. There's some mulligan and bread from yesterdays dinner if you want some…'

'Likely.' Kyna answers with a smile.

'Same. I'll go and get the dishes.'

'Thank you, Jack. I'll go outside so I can get some more wood for the chimney, otherwise our house will be freezing soon.' My mother states with a smile.

I smile back and return'No problem.'

Mom gives me a grateful look before she leaves the room. I walk to the cupboard and grab enough breakfast dishes and cutlery. Meanwhile Kyna walks to the pot and lifts the lid. She inhales the smell of the mulligan and closes her eyes. It looks like she couldn't wait to eat some of it.

'Your hungry, ey?' I query, even though I know the answer already. Kyna nods, noticing that she can't hide it anymore. 'I really am, and I love stew.'

'Mulligan.'

'What?'

'You can also call it mulligan.'

Kyna laughs.'I know, but I prefer to call it stew.' Now I have to laugh too as I state'Stew. Sounds kinda stupid, don't cha think?'

She's still laughing heavily while returning'No I don't think so.'

'Stew. Stew. Stew.'

'What are you doing?'

'Just tried to make the word sound better. Didn't work afterall.' Both of us have to laugh out loud after my sentence. 'Do you want to know what word sounds really weird?' Kyna questions.

'Tell me!'

'Pronk.'

I give her a questioning look.'What the hell is a Pronk?'

'A pronk is a weak or foolish person.'Kyna pauses and waits for a reaction, so I return'Pronk. Pronk. Pronk. Yap, that sounds worse than stew. It sounds like a disease.'

Kyna giggles and returns'Sure thing. Imagine a doctor telling you: My dear, I think you've got the pronk. Works out, doesn't it?'

I nod, a grin on my face.'It does. Result: My new favorite word is Pronk.' Kyna and I nearly screamed with laughter, and that's when my mother comes back in. 'That doesn't look like breakfast to me.' She states. Quickly I fill the bowles with mulligan. Or stew. I can't hold back a little giggle, just like Kyna. 'Here, Kyna, your stew.' Kyna presses her lips together, to prevent herself from laughing. 'Thank you, Jack.' I pour some mulligan in my bowl aswell, and sit next to Kyna. For a moment you can only here the spoons scratching on the bowls, but then my mother says'Kyna, I think it's time that you tell us why you were outside.'

Chapter 7

Kyna nearly drops her spoon after Mom's words. She looks at me, her eyes nearly shouting _What shall I do?_ I nod, to show her that everything is alright, and take her hand. Kyna holds on to it with all her strength, but it doesn't hurt. Even if it would, I wouldn't bother. The feeling of her holding my hand is just… beyond words. 'Alright, Eve. I'm sorry that I haven't told you yesterday, but I just didn't know if I could trust you.'

'There is no need for being sorry Kyna, I suggest everybody would've done the same thing.' My mother answers.

'Thank you, Eve. I appreciate that.' Kyna pauses, and it seems like she's trying to collect the words for her next sentence. 'So… The reason I came here, is quite simple: I didn't like my home.' My mother shakes her head, as she returns'You can't just run away, Kyna! That doesn't solve problems, it just makes more!'

'No, not this time. This time it solves my problems. Because Burgess is a town, right?'

I nod and say'Yes, it is. But why is that important?' I've got a hunch, but I wish that it will stay one.

Kyna suspires and states'Good. Have you ever heard about the one year rule? When a slave runs away and lives in a town for a year, they can be free. But only if they don't get caught.' Mom and I nod. We both know about slavery; a cruel business, full of contempt and abuse.

'Well, this rule is incredibly important for me, 'cause I was a slave.' Mom and I gasp. Damn, why couldn't it just stay a hunch?

'Okay, but before you ask questions, let me tell my entire story. Alright?'

'Of course.' My mother answers for both of us.

'So… I was a slave since I was 8. I lived in Ireland before that, but you can't really hear it in my language, 'cause I trained speaking with american accent since I live in America. I didn't want to get any problems with Scotts or British because of my origin. My father, Connor, died before my birth, probably because of the plague. I don't really know, because my mother Deirdre never wanted to talk about it. But what I know, is: My fathers death must've ruined her, because she was drunk about every second night. And to get drunk, Deirdre always went to the pub on the harbor, and usually she took me with her. The nights when she didn't, I went to my friends, Aislin or Cayley, or I just stayed home. But the night where I was taken to America, Deirdre took me with her. She died that night. Deirdre had drunk to much, even for her conditions, and died because of the alcohol. I found her in a corner on the street, laying lifeless on the ground. I knew that something was wrong, so I ran to her and felt her pulse. I had to learn that quite early, so I could always check on my mother. And usually I always found a heartbeat. But not this time. Deirdre was dead. I pulled her into my arms, and looked at her. I didn't cry much, and of course I was sad, but I somehow think that she was happy. That her fight has finally ended. She looked so peaceful, just like she was asleep in my arms. And that's how they found me. Three men came around the corner and spotted me, so they came closer. They asked me what happened, and I told them everything. I thought they were honest men, just willing to help me, so I agreed with there offer to help me. What should I have done? I was alone, an orphan and I was hungry and shocked. They carried my mother away and one of them, a pale and brown haired man, took me by the wrists, and brought me to a ship. As I saw the ship, I noticed that something was wrong. I remembered Deirdre's warnings about the slave traders, which she had told me when she was sober. So as I did so, I asked the man if I could go now, because I don't like ships. He disagreed. I asked again and again, always the same answer. So I started to fight back. I tried to loosen his grip, and cried for help. I even kicked and tried to bite him, and I even was successful. But as I got to hurt him, we had already reached the boat. He enchained me, wrapping ropes around my wrists and ankles. The man said something that I don't really remember, I think he said something like _'Hope ya like America, my love._ But it didn't matter anyway, I was still scared to death.

As I looked around, I saw other people, altogether 60. Some of them were still children, just like me, others older. All of them were between the age of 5 and 35. And with those people I would travel to America.'

My mother is on the verge of crying.'What happened then?' She asks curiously.

'Well, some of us died. I guess about 15 or 20. I didn't count actually, because I would've had to look at the corpses then. And I didn't want to see a decayed corpse, and that was what they became. Nobody bothered to clean the ship, they just gave us some food once in a while. But I didn't imagine that my life would get worse in America.'

'How did you come to that family?' I question.

'I was sold, Jack. We had to stand on some platform in a big town. But before we did a person of the crew gave me cleaner clothes, because I was one of the more expensive ones, he said. And after I was dressed, they took me and 10 others of my age, and brought us 'on stage' like the traders always had said. It should've sounded funny, but nobody had laughed back then. So as we stood up there, altogether in a row, the people on the marketplace started to mumble. I heard things like: _I'll pay much for the little girl over there. The one with the pretty hair. _The woman had meant me. And she was the woman I lived with until I was 14, so for 6 years. Marissa brought me to her carriage, but as I wanted to go inside, she told me I should sit on the porter, which was on the backside of the carriage. Marissa enchained me to it, so we couldn't run away. So as I sat there, thinking about my more than bad situation. But as we sat there, we already tried to make a plan to escape. Well, that plan only worked after 6 years of hard work and abuse. And those 6 years were more than just horrible. I had to work under the worst conditions, and if I did something wrong, I was fined. Marissa and her husband James always strapped me. Once they nearly broke my arm, so I fainted'

'That sounds horrible.' I say. I pause for a while, to think about my next sentence. In the end I question'But how did you get out of there?'

'After about 4 years I was allowed to go in the stable with Marissa. I was supposed to take care of the horses, and as I did so, I thought about a way to escape. My idea was to take the horses when the time was right. Of course it wasn't a real plan yet, and it was a little harder too, because my ankles were enchained, so I had to get the key first. And that key was with Marissa all the time.

I taught myself how to steal for a couple of years. That's nothing that I'm proud of, but it was very useful back then. After I had gotten really good, I tried to snatch the key day after day, and after a year, I had made it. I unlocked my chains and ran to the barn. As I already had come on the horse, Marissa came in. She was furious as she saw what I was doing. But it was too late. I was already heading to the woods.

Just for your information, I am a dreadful rider. That's why I had to walk. The horse didn't stop to gallop, so I fell. It ran away and left me alone in the woods. The only things that I had with me were my clothes that I am wearing now, my coat and my small dagger.'

I arch an eyebrow.'A dagger? You have a dagger?'

She pulls out a sharp piece of metal out of a leather holster around her hip and hands it to me. There are engravings on one side and on the handle. Many roses are over the knife point and reach to the handle, were their thorns are engraved. 'Oh.' I whisper.

'Yes. I'm sorry I didn't actually show you, I thought that you would already have recognized it. It's not like I'm hiding it.' _She's wearing it around her hip, how couldn't you see it, you dumb ass?_ I give Kyna her dagger back.

'You probably know what happens next: As I walked through the woods, looking some town, that should be in that direction, the snowstorm began. And then I found your house, you helped me and now I'm telling you this.'

'How did you know about Burgess?'Mom asks.

'I passed through some small villages and asked some people where the next town was. So they told me about Burgess.' My mother nods, understandingly.

'So… Eve, Jack., that's all.'

My mother sighs, before saying'Kyna, we can't bring you back. Not when you have to live under such bad circumstances. I think it's the best thing for all, when you stay.' Kyna starts to smile, and asks'Really? I mustn't leave?'

Mom nods.'I don't think one more child will be a disadvantage.'

Kyna shakes her head, laughing.'It won't be, Eve. I would never let that happen.'

Chapter 8

'Great. So… Now that you are part of the family, you don't need to worry anymore. We won't let anything happen to you, will we, Jack?'

I shake my head and return, without even hesitating'Never. I promise.' Kyna gives us a smile. She looks so happy. _Just like the true personification of Joy_.'Thank you, thank you so much. You can't imagine how much I appreciate that.'

'No need for gratitude, Kyna. It is my pleasure to help you.'

'You deserve a good life.' I whisper. I actually just said it for myself, but Kyna must've heard it, and I notice her catching a glimpse at 's hard to tell what she wants to say with her look. Usually I understand the silent language of people; hear their quiet messages. Not this time.

But then she smiles at me. A little movement of her mouth, barely recognizable for others, and I hear her message: _You're a really good friend. _I remember her telling me yesterday, as we were laying in my bed, just after I had promised to help her.

'Well… Did you like breakfast?' My mother asks.

Oh. I didn't realize that me and Kyna hadn't even finished breakfast.

'Uhm… I actually haven't finished yet.' I laugh quietly, and it feels like laughing for myself. What a weird feeling.

'Neither have I.' Kyna adds while looking into her bowl.

'Then I suggest you two should eat up. Hayley already asked if you wanted to join her snowball fight.' My mother grins at us, and walks into the living room. I listen to the tapping of her steps as she leaves us alone. An awkward silence fills the room.

It feels like I was pushed into cold water.

The feeling remains, until I ask'So… Are you still hungry?'

Kyna shakes her head, giggling. 'No, I wasn't even before I started telling.' Finally I am out of this icy cold lake.

'Same. So… Let's get ready for this day, shall we?'

Kyna nods, and we clean up before we prepare ourselves for a new day. _And Kyna for a new life. _

I slip into my boots, and catch a glimpse at Kyna. I must've stared a little, so causing her to ask me'What? I'm just looking for my gloves.' She giggles again, a sound that makes me smile. 'Nothing. Just wanted to look if you need something else. You need to be prepared for a snowball fight.'

'So we're really doing this? Having a snowball fight? It's been ages since my last one! I'm so excited!' She looks at me, her eyes widened in excitement.

'Sure thing. But I need to warn you, I'm the unbeaten king of snowball fights.'

'Well, that might be because you never had a good companion.'

I laugh while saying'Is that a challenge?'

She shrugs, a grin on her face.'Maybe.'

'That, dearest Kyna, was a yes.'

I walk to the door, and open it. Just a second after doing so, cold wind blow through my hair, causing me to wrap my jacket a little tighter around my body. 'C'mon!' I call Kyna. I don't see her, and the only thing I notice, is that the door has been shut. _Where could she…_ Just before I can finish my thread, something cold hits my neck. I hear a laugh, and turn around. 'What the…' I can catch a glimpse at Kyna, just before another snowball hits me. This time in my face. I swipe the snow out of my face, before gathering enough snow to make a snowball on my own. I throw it at her, and hit her stomach. 'REVENGE!' I shout, and grab some more snow.

We keep throwing snowballs at each other for a long time. Even though my hands are freezing cold, I don't want to stop. I rather use it against Kyna, and grab her neck. She squeaks as she feels the cold of my touch, and strikes back with hitting a snowball in my face. That goes on and on, and our snowball fight does as well.

As I lay in my bed with Kyna, remembering what happened today, I notice that this actually was the best day in my life. And that I am happy that Kyna was in it.

Chapter 9

Spring

Time has passed and it has become spring. The meadows are green again, the flowers have their colors back, and the birds wake me up every morning with their chirping. And every morning I could throw a stone at them so they keep quiet.

I smile at the sun as I stand outside. I can feel the its warmth in every single pore of my body, and somehow I feel like a sponge sucking up the sunbeams. It's a beautiful April afternoon today, and I love days like this one. A grin forms on my face by the thought of all the fun I will have in spring. I love winter, it's my favorite season, but I appreciate and like all of the others. They're all necessary, and why not like something that has to happen? While looking a little closer, you can see the complexity of nature in every single season. Nothing was unplanned, everything in nature has a reason. Spring is the start of it, so it's somehow the start of the year. In spring all of the crops start to bloom, and the animals come back. Next is summer, which we need for the crop, and we need it's warmth. Fall is important as well, 'cause snow ain't that good when the trees still have their leaves. Everything would hang in them, and you could get buried in snow falling from the trees easily. And the season completing the year, winter, cools the earth down. All of the plants couldn't handle too much sun. They would simply die, and there would be a big famine. So everything has a reason. Damn, that was poetic.

'Jack? Are have you lost yourself again?' My thread gets harshly interrupted by Kyna. I turn around and look at her, still grinning. I return'Yeah, I think so.' Kyna starts giggling, and strikes a streak of hair behind her ears. It has grown a little longer since January, the month she had come to us, to April. We have become really good friends in those 4 months, and she really likes Burgess and it's people. Including Edan of course, and they've become friends as well. And from him I've got her new nickname, Missy. Don't ask me where he got that name from, Kyna and Missy don't really sound the same. They don't similar at all, but it just fits to her, so now Kyna is our little Missy.

'So… Two weeks vacation, huh?' I ask Kyna.

She nods and states'Yeah, two weeks full of free time.'

'And full of fun. I'll take care of that.' Kyna has to giggle again after my sentence. It's easier than I thought to make her happy. _Good. _

'It's such a beautiful day.' Kyna says. And she is right. Today is one of those days were everything just fits. And suddenly I have and idea what we could do today. 'What about a pick nick? We could go to the meadows and just enjoy today. What cha think about that?'

Kyna smiles at me, and asks'Really? A pick nick? I've never done that before.'

I arch an eyebrow.'Never? Well, then I suggest we have to do that today. We just need to go home and prepare it.'

'What do we need?' Kyna asks.

'A blanket, and some food and water. That's it.' I pause, just to figure out if we need something else.'Oh! And we need a basket.' I add while looking at Kyna. She didn't stop smiling at me, and I like that. She's not supposed to do so.

After Kyna and I have prepared our basket for the trip, we head towards the meadows. Kyna doesn't quit telling me how excited she is, and I don't quit smiling because of that. She's like a child before opening it's presents on Christmas Eve. Luckily the meadows aren't far away, so we arrive quite quickly. Kyna runs into them, looking for a place to put the blanket.

'Whoa, Missy! Calm down!' I call.

Kyna turns around, laughing, and calls back'Shush, Jackie! Leave me be!'

Jackie is her new nickname for me, and that's her way to strike back. And she's damn good with that.

I run towards Kyna with big steps. The faster I can catch up, the better. After I finally reach her, I watch her flattening the blanket. She looks after every little detail, just to make it perfect, even though it already is.

'Okay, I think this place is nice, don't cha think?' Kyna asks me, a questioning look on her face and I smile. And the weird thing is the reason of my smile. I just do so because of her. Because of the wonder she sees in everything. Because of her excitement for everything, even for the smallest things. Because she worships every single moment of her life. Just because of her.

'Jack? Is it okay? I can move the blanket somewhere else if you want to. Jack?' She waves her hand in front of my eyes. I blink twice before answering'No! No, please don't. I love this place, it's just perfect.' _Just like you. _I would've loved to say my thought out a loud, just to let her know about it. But I don't, so I suggest it has to stay unspoken.

'Oh, alright then. I think we should get the food out now.' Kyna says, already grabbing into the basket.

'Let me help you.' I add, and take out some of the food. There's some really good stuff inside our little basket, and I can't wait to eat some of it.

'This day will be awesome.'

Kyna gives me a smile and nods.'It surely will.'

After getting the food and drink out of the basket and onto the blanket, me and Kyna look at it for a while, before I ask'I'm not really hungry yet, are you?' Kyna shakes her head, and answers'Nope, not really.' After that, we stay quiet, and the only thing you can hear is the chirping of the birds near by. I lay myself down onto the blanket, and stare up to Kyna. Some streaks of hair fell out of her braid, which are now framing her face. I can see her playing with the skirt of her dress and watch the red cloth between her fingers. She's wearing her Sunday dress today: A red and white overdress with little white decorations on the hemline, and underneath a white blouse. And on the top of all, she's wearing the black loafers my mother made her as a gift. All together she looks more then just beautiful.

And so I didn't fall out, I got changed as well before our pick nick. I'm dressed in my nicest clothes, just like her, so I'm really done up for this. My trousers are brown, just like the little cape over my white shirt. I'm wearing my favorite pair of shoes, and luckily they're are the color of my trousers, so they fit together.

I interrupt my thoughts as I notice that Kyna observes me as well. Her eyes wander over me, searching for something, and as her sight falls into mine, she doesn't look away. We just keep watching each other, and it isn't awkward at all, so I just go on with studying her face: The color of her eyes, the light rosé of her cheeks, the sweep of her eyelashes. All together she looks like a portrait of a fairy-tale figure which is perfect to the core. And as that figure starts to smile at me, it's like I could see into her soul. A soul full of honesty, joy and love, which is also so fragile like a little bird, and so unbreakable like stone. She fascinates me like no one before.

I sigh and lay myself onto the blanket again. To my surprise Kyna lays herself down as well, and nestles herself onto my chest. 'Tell me a story.' She whispers.

'What?' I've heard her well, but I just can't believe my ears.

'Please, tell me a story.' She whispers again. Kyna looks up to me, a pleading look in her eyes.

'What kind of story?' I ask, whispering.

'I don't care. You chose.' I actually know which one I want to tell her. The one I wanted to tell her all the time. The story of my father.

I don't bother myself with an initiation, so I just start straight away. 'I was five as my father left us. A couple of months before, My mother was pregnant with Hayley, which made everyone very happy. And as she finally opened her eyes to the world, we couldn't believe our luck. It all seemed to be so perfect: My parents had moved successfully from Great Britain to America, when my mother was pregnant with me. They had become a house, work, and a family, and after five years we were blessed with another family member: My sister Hayley. We were so lucky.' I pause, fighting the urge of crying. Kyna strikes through my hair, helping me to pick up my sentence again. 'But as Hayley was about 6 months old, things changed. And as I was laying in my bed, half asleep, I heard tapping in the corridor. It was an irregular sound, and the next thing I heard was the slamming of the door. The next morning my father wasn't there anymore.' A tear slips from my eye, but I want to go on. I have to go on. 'No one knows where he went. No one knows why he went. But what we know is, that he wasn't there anymore. And even though he had left, I tried to stay strong. I showed nobody how sad I was, the only time I cried was in my room, where nobody could see it. Mom tried to do the same thing, but I sometimes found her sobbing in the kitchen, when she thought I didn't notice. But after a year full of tears and sadness, I decided that it was enough. My father had left us because of some reason, and that's it. The more important fact was, that Hayley wouldn't have a father. Luckily she doesn't remember him, because she was so small back then, so that helps as well. But you can also feel like something's missing even though you don't know how it was when it was there. So after all my thought was: If she doesn't have a father, she needs a big brother who takes care of her. And that's what I'm doing, to the day: Loving and taking care of her, so she doesn't feel any loss. That's how Hayley became the light in my life. I love her so much.' I notice warm, salty drops slipping down my cheeks, and their taste spreads in my mouth. Usually I would hold it back, but right now I don't care. 'You're the first person who I told the entire story. Even Edan doesn't know all of it, he just knows the basics: My father ran away, god knows why, and didn't come back. Not more, not less.' I burry my face in Kyna's hair, now really crying. Kyna takes my hand, and holds it tight. She doesn't make any attempts of letting go.

We stay this way for some time, just laying there. But then Kyna says'Jack?' I look up as she says my name. I look into her eyes, tears still dripping down my face, as she comes closer. I can feel her warm breath in my face; can smell her sweet scent. And then I do it. I place my hand on her neck, and pull her close. That's when it happens.

As her lips meet mine, I put all my emotions in this kiss. All my sadness, all my love. I want to give her everything, show her everything, and all of that with this kiss. I don't want to let her go. I can taste the salt of my tears as I kiss her, but that doesn't bother me. Nothing bothers me right now. It's just Kyna and me, in our little world full of love and affection.

Kyna's hand is in my hair, and I can feel the softness in her touch. This time I'm not lost in thought. I've never felt something that strong. It's just like I've been wearing a blindfold all my life, which has been slumped. And I love it.

As we let go of each other, Kyna bites her lip and looks straight at me.

'I think I love you, Jack Frost.' As she says those three words, which make her sentence so wonderful, I smile at her.

'I love you, Kyna Leffaion. If I could stay in this meadow with you for the rest of my life, I would. I would give everything I have just for one more pick nick with you. This day was the best in my entire life, even better than the day I got to taste a piece of chocolate.' Kyna starts giggling, and so do I. 'I was serious! You've never tasted chocolate before, have you? I have, and I would give tons of it for one more kiss of…' That's how far I come before she pulls me close again. We kiss each other once more, and one feeling is new in this kiss: Joy. This time my hands are around her waist, and she has her hands folded behind my neck. I never want to let her go.

And then a thought forms in my mind: _I love her so god damn much. _

Chapter 10

It's been two months since my pick nick with Kyna, and it has become much warmer now. It's actually already summer, so we can stay outside longer. Just like today. We've lit a bonfire about an hour ago, and me, Edan, Kyna and some of Hayley's friends, sit around it and watch me. I'm holding antlers on my head, to make everyone laugh. And I seem to be succesfull, 'cause everyone either chuckles or laughs. I like it when everyone just forgets his sorrows and is happy because of me.

But everything has a ending, so as I'm finished, I say'I think Kyna has to perform now, what cha think?'

'No!' She answers, laughing, but Edan pushes her to do so.

'C'mon, my love! It won't hurt ya!'

Grinning because of Edan's comment, I return'As you can hear, Kyna, you have no other choice.'

She takes another mouth full of water, swallows and states'But you have to help me then! You have to play the guitar in addition!'

I shake my head.'No way, Missy! Why don't you just play it yourself?'

'You know I can't sing and play guitar at the same time!' That's true. I can't do that as well, so I have a pity on her and say'Okay, but you have to tell me what and especially how to play it. Songs sound different when you play them in another way.'

'I think you already know the song.' I arch an eyebrow. 'I do?'

Kyna nods and answers'Sure you do! Do you remember the song _The Parting Glass _which I have taught you to play on the guitar? Did you forget it already?' Now I do remember. She told me about a week ago that it is an old Irish and Scottish folksong. And according to that, she taught me how to play it on the guitar. Luckily I taught myself how to play the guitar since I'm seven, and Kyna had learned the song by a friend of hers. I taught her how to play that instrument for 4 months now, and she's getting really good at it. And as a counter draw, she taught me how to play _The Parting Glass._ 'Okay, I remember again.' I reach out for the guitar and place it in my lap. I play a simple chord to look if it sounds alright. 'It sounds good, so I suggest we can start now. Kyna?'

'I'm ready.' She answers.

I tap three times on my guitar, to get the beat, and start playing. There's a little intro, which already sounds beautiful, but as Kyna starts to sing with her soft voice, it becomes breathtaking.

'_Of all the money that e'er I spent _

_I've spent it in good company _

_And all the harm that ever I did _

_Alas it was to none but me _

_And all I've done for want of wit _

_To memory now I can't recall _

_So fill to me the parting glass _

_Good night and joy be with you all _

_If I had money enough to spend _

_And leisure to sit awhile _

_There is a fair maid in the town _

_That sorely has my heart beguiled _

_Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips _

_I own she has my heart enthralled _

_So fill to me the parting glass _

_Good night and joy be with you all' _Kyna gives me a look, and as she doesn't make any attempt of singing the last verse, I do so

'_Oh, all the comrades that e'er I had _

_They're sorry for my going away _

_And all the sweethearts that e'er I had _

_They'd wish me one more day to stay _

_But since it falls unto my lot _

_That I should rise and you should not _

_I'll gently rise and softly call _

_Good night and joy be with you all_'

For the time of our little song, no one has said a word. It's like no one has even breathed. But as it's over, everybody starts to clap.

'Damn, that was just awesome!' Edan tells us, a smile on his face. 'I've never heard a better version of this song, seriously! Kyna, you just sing awesome! And with Jack's deeper voice… Damn! ' He adds.

'Thank you.' Kyna says.

'Yeah, thanks for the compliment.' I blush after saying that, because I realize that I just sang in front of other people than myself. And they think I was good. They really liked it. _What a nice thought. _It is so nice, that I smile for the rest of our gathering.

Chapter 11

Winter

'Hat?'

'Yes.'

'Gloves?'

'Yes.'

'Skates?'

'Yes, Jack! We've got everything!' My sister says playfully.

'She's right Jack, we can go now.' Kyna agrees.

I observe Kyna and Hayley, a questioning look on my face.'You sure?'

'Yes, Jack.' Hayley answers, smiling.

'So where's your scarf then?' I ask. Both of them look around, confused.

'Luckily your best friend Jack has thought about it. This was a test, and you failed.' I tell them. I can't hold myself and start to laugh, and in the end, all of us have to.

I hand Hayley her scarf and state 'Here you go, but now: LET'S GO ICE SKATING!' A smile forms on Kyna's face, and I see how Hayley's eyes widen in excitement.

'I love ice skating! It's one of the best things to do in winter!' Hayley says.

'The last time I've been ice skating was when I was about… 6 years old. Yes, that fits.'

I can't believe what I've just heard. 'Then you weren't ice skating for… 8 years now?'

Kyna nods and answers'Yeah, it's been a quite long time. I don't know if I still can.'

'Ice skating is something you don't forget. And if you have, we'll show you again, alright?' Hayley returns, earning a grateful smile from Kyna.  
'Okay… I think we can go now.' I tell them, and just as these words leave my mouth, my mother comes into the corridor.

'Have you got everything you need?'

'Yes, Mom.' Hayley answers for all of us.

'Are you sure?'

'Yes, we are, Mom.' I return this time, a smile on my face. Hayley has already opened the door, and is pulling me out of the house, impatiently. Kyna follows and waves my Mom good bye.

'Be careful!' My mother calls as we leave, so I respond, laughing'We will!'

As we arrive at the frozen pond, my sister nearly drags me with her. She is so excited, even more than Kyna.

'C'mon! Put on your skates and lets go!' Hayley says, making me laugh.

'Relax, Hayley. We've got all day!' I try to calm her down, but she doesn't listen. She's already trying to put on her skates.

'She's even more excited than I am.' Kyna tells me.

I giggle before saying'Yeah, she is. She loves ice skating ever since, but as she had those lessons with her class…'

'What happened then?' I laugh as an answer, hoping that she understands.

'Oh… I understand.' We have to chuckle by the thought of Hayley's anticipation.

'Are you ready?' Hayley asks, all of a sudden, making me sit down and put my skates on.

'Nearly!' Kyna says, doing the same like me. I try to be as fast as I can, but Kyna is faster.

'I'm not the slowest!'

'But at least I can ice skate.' I return playfully.

Kyna arches an eyebrow, saying'We'll see.'

Kyna, Hayley and I have a huge amount of fun on the ice. We're playing tag, driving circles, or making races (which I always win by the way). Kyna's better than I thought, she hasn't unlearned ice skating a bit. But in the end just me and Hayley are on the ice, because Kyna's feet hurt a little.

'I'm watching!'Kyna calls from her stand. I can see her smiling, and it makes me happy that she is. It's a couple of days after her day. The year is over, and she's finally safe now. I've never seen her so joyful like she was as I told her the good news. She started crying and hugged each one of us close, and my mother welcomed her in our family. It was a wonderful day.

My thread gets harshly interrupted by a cracking sound.

'What was that?' I ask no one in particular, but as Hayley answers, a cold shiver runs down my spine.

'Jack, the ice…'

'No…' It sounds more like a suspire than like a word. _Don't panic. Panic won't help her. But you have to help her. No, you have to _save_ her._

'It's okay, it's okay…' I try to calm her down, even though I'm close to a panic attack myself. _Don't let her know._

'Don't look down. Just look at me.'

'Jack! Hayley!' Kyna's standing on the shore of the pond, looking for a way to help us. But she's too far away.

'Don't! Kyna, just stay there!' _Don't risk your life as well. Two are enough. _The cracking noise fills the air again, and I can see the fear in my sisters face.'Jack, I'm scared!' She cries out. _Damn, Damn, Damn!_ 'I know, I know. But you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall in.' _I need a fucking idea! Now! _And then I have one.

'We're gonna have a little fun instead!' My sister shakes her head, and I can see tears in her eyes.'No, we're not!'

'Would I trick you?' I ask plan has to work out, otherwise… I don't want to think about it.

'Yes! You always play tricks!' She answers, nearly screaming.

'No.' I pause, so I can gather the words I'm looking for. 'Well, no-no-not this time, I promise. I promise you're gonna be…' I pause again, looking for a way to get us, or at least her, out of this situation. 'You're gonna be fine. You have to believe in me.' I give her a smile, trying to calm her down. The crack doesn't stop growing, and I'm on the verge of shouting in frustration. _Relax, Jack. Keep calm. _'You wanna play a game? We're gonna play hopscotch, like we play everyday.' I catch a glimpse at Kyna and smile at her too.

'Trust me, it's as easy as…Uh…' I observe the area to look for something useful. A wooden staff just a couple of steps away catches my sight. Three steps…

'One…' I accidentally trip and nearly fall on the thin ice, but I let it look like it was planned. _Good job. No panic. Just… don't cause panic. _'Woa!' I call out and wave excessively with my arms. 'Two…' I take a careful step, hoping that I won't fall in.

'Three!' I seriously made it. _Okay, let's start step two of my plan. _'Alright, now it's your turn.' I say heartening. As she makes her first step, my heart nearly stops beating.'One…' I pause, looking at the crack beneath her feet. 'That's it, that's it.' I add. 'Two…' I can see the crack grow bigger. She will fall. _Not when I can stop it! _

'Three!' I take the wooden staff from the ground and push her to the safe side of the pond. Both of us are laying on the ice, and she gives me a smile. We've won. We've made it.

I raise and smile at her. We even laugh a little, a laugh of relief. But then it happens. The ice eases and I fall in the cold water. The last thing I hear is an echo of my name, it probably came from my sister. I feel the cokd surrounding me. I press my hands against the ice, trying to find my way out again. I try to find the hole again, but everything looks the same. _That's it. But at least Hayley's safe. _I try to snatch the weariness away from me, and I already feel the pressure in my lungs. I think I have to admit it.

And just before I want to give myself up entirely, I see her. Kyna has jumped after me, and now she's looking for me. Down here. In the depths of some stupid pond that will be her grave. Fuck.

As she finds me, she gets hold of my cape, and trys to pull me up. I would love to help her, but I'm to exhausted. But I do my best. I'm trying to help her find the hole, but we ain't successful. She looks at me, and even through the haziness of the water, I can see the look on her face. She's scared. She has given up. I promised myself to make her happy. And know, in her last moments of living, she's scared. I've failed.

No. I won't let that happen. Her last moments have to be wonderful, just like her. Kyna shouldn't regret anything. I put my hands on her waist, ignoring the pressure in my lungs. Ignoring everything else. It's just me and Kyna. There's no soon death. No pond. No icy cold water. And then I kiss her for the last time. She has one hand in my hair, the other one is behind my neck, and she's pulling me closer. I ignore the cold water between us, and just try to comfort her; try to tell her everything's gonna be alright. I don't want her to feel fear. I just want her to know how much I love her. And the fascinating thing is one thing I feel while kissing her: Gratefullness. I don't care if I die with 15. I don't give a fuck. I've had her, and that's worth a lifetime. I wouldn't want to live without her, even if I would a life in eternity. 15 years are enough, if you do it right. And I have. I regret nothing.

My grip loosens a little, because the unintended sleep takes over. I don't want to let her go. But sadly my begging doesn't have any use, so I let go of her. As she notices the fading of my grip, she hugs me close. That's how it ends. Laying in her arms, her hand in my hair. It's so peaceful. And then I see the moon. It grows bigger, and it's beems cover me and Kyna with a fascinating glow. If I wouldn't be on the verge of death, I would've reacted a little more… I don't know… fascinated? But then it happens: The moon somehow seems to wake me up again, and I feel a prickle throughout my body. I watch as Kyna's body glows in the light and then….

It's all black.

Chapter 12

I can hear the cracking of the ice, as I and another form break through. I catch a breath, wondering where I am. I don't remember anything. The only thing I know right now is, that there is some red haired girl in my arms. Who the fuck is she? Is she dead? _Did I kill her? _ .God. Amnesia sucks. 'You're Jack Frost. And the girl down there is Kyna Leffaion.'

' What? Who just said that? ' I call into the dark.

'If this is some joke, it's not funny!' I rip out some of the flowers, who have started to grow around us. Where the fuck do those come from?

'I don't think it is.' I look into my arms, where the noise came from. Piercing blue eyes are observing me, and all of a sudden I say'Kyna Leffaion.'

'What?' She asks, confused.

'I'm Jack. Actually Jack Frost. You're name is Kyna Leffaion. Don't aks me why I know that, I just do.' To my surprise Kyna accepts it with a nod, and nestles against my chest. We stay like that for some time, looking at each other and our surroundings, but then Kyna whispers.'I'm scared, Jack.'

'Don't be.' I answer, to my surprise I didn't even hesitate.

'Why?' She asks me, with her eyes wide open.

'I'll take care of you.' Did I just say that? She must think I'm some stupid idiot. But then she answers'Thank you.'

We talk to each other for a while, until my sight gets caught by a wooden staff. I do't know why, I just walk towards it. 'Jack?' Kyna calls, but I don't listen. I take the staff in my hands, and nearly drop it again. It has started to glow. 'Look at that!' I tell Kyna, and touch a tree trunk with it. Ice starts to mak it's way to the top. 'Wow…' I whisper.

'Jack! Look!' I turn my head, and see Kyna holding a little… stick? Yeah, that's the right word for it. She touches the same tree trunk like me and I can see green spreading over it. But as she wait's a little longer, the tree starts smoking. 'Take that thing of the tree! Otherwise it'll catch fire!' I say, laughing. After she has done what I told her, we have some fun with our new abilities. I find out quite quickly that me and Kyna can fly, and that it's a huge amount of fun. 'Let's look for some people!' I say, already high up in the air.

Kyna follows, and as we see a little village, we decide to start down there.

'Stay close to me. You never know what kind of people live here.' I whisper and take Kyna's hand. We greet everybody in our sight, and I try to ask them where we are. No respond. I start feeling unconfortable, but it becomes worse. All of a sudden, a child runs thorugh me. Seriously through me. Not past me, through me.

'Did you just see that?' I ask breathless. Kyna nods.

'Let me try.' She walks towards a woman and tries to touch her shoulder. Just like I said, tried. Didn't work out though.

'Why…?' She starts, but then she has to cry. I catch her step and hug her. I try to comfort her and burry my face in her hair and mumble' Everything's gonna be alright. I'll protect you. I'll keep you safe. Don't worry.'

And I haven't broke that promise to the day.


End file.
